States’ rights, abolition of the Metropolitan Council and opposition to the new federal health care law are among the platform proposals that have passed through the lengthy process of making it onto this weekend’s GOP state convention agenda.

The classic rock tune "Freebird" blared shortly after 7:30 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom at the Sheraton Hotel in Bloomington. But music was just about the only noise as the GOP faithful slowly started to arrive at the state GOP’s ...